Jody Direen

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Jody Direen hails from the heart of the South Island (Wanaka, New Zealand) and has made huge waves internationally by pairing her amazing vocal talent along with her gifted song writing skills, powerful stage presence, hard work ethic and determination, Jody has garnered a loyal following throughout New Zealand and Australia. Her notoriety, however, has crossed the borders to Nashville, Tennessee – the capital of country music. After working under the guidance of Bear Grylls’ U.S. based talent management company for quite some time, Jody released her new-sound single ‘Loud’ as a follow-up to her well received 2012 debut album ‘Here We Go’. With an edgier sound, ‘Loud’ launched straight to #1 in the New Zealand i-Tunes Country Charts, peaked at #17 in the New Zealand i-Tunes charts across all genres and remained in the official NZ TOP 20 charts for two consecutive weeks sitting at #17 for the first and #14 for the second. The 'Loud’ music video made its debut onto the Country Music Channel (CMC) Australia and was selected as the 'Country Pick' for the month peaking at #10. It also peaked at #13 on The Australian Country Official Top 40 (worldwide) and #4 on The All Australian Country Top 20, remaining there for three weeks.

Jody's musical journey began at age 13 when her grandma (also a country singer) exposed her to the world of country music. After many years and late nights playing at local bars (and the occasional farm job), Jody was ready to make her debut as an independent recording artist in 2011. Her first album ‘Here We Go’ was a hit with her loyal local following solidifying her fan base in the South Island of New Zealand. Support for the album came in the form of sold-out concerts throughout the South Island 100% organized and funded by Jody herself showcasing her hard working ethic, phenomenal stage presence and mesmorizing vocals.

Jody is no stranger to the spotlight, winning third place on the televised pop - orientated talent competition ‘Find A Star’ (NZ TV One) in 2011 followed by her first record deal offer out of Sydney, Australia in which she turned down in seek of opportunity in the USA. Later that same year she took home the CMANZ Horizon Award. This accomplishment secured her a spot performing at the 2013 Global Artist Showcase in Nashville, Tennessee. The show would be a part of the annual CMA Festival – the biggest celebration of country music in the world. Jody’s trip to Nashville gave her the opportunity to meet country superstars Vince Gill, Carrie Underwood and work with world-class musicians and producers. Jody was also officially invited to enter ‘The Voice’, America after an official at NBC watched her show.

Jody's second single "Tattoo", off "Breaks Out", peaked at #6 in the NZ iTunes charts (across all genres) and #3 in the NZ iTunes Pop charts. It also made its debut at #3 in the NZ Official Top 40 single chart. With live appearances on TV NZ’s ‘Good Morning Show’ and ‘The Paul Henry Show’ Jody has established a solid fan base throughout New Zealand.

Jody’s single “Together” released in April 2015 topped the NZ iTunes Country chart and peaked at #8 in the pop chart. The newly released and much anticipated album “Jody Direen Breaks Out” topped the iTunes Country album chart and peaked at #10 across all genres. It also made its debut at #12 in the Official NZ TOP 20 (National) and made the Official NZ TOP 40 (International).

In July 2015, Jody was signed to ABC Music under a licencing deal and "Together" was her first Australian single released in August. It peaked at #10 in the Official Australian Airplay Artist chart and #10 in the Foxtel CMC Top 50 Countdown.

Recent accolades include Foxtel CMC Award nominations for New Oz Artist, Oz Artist and Female Artist of the Year, winning the CMANZ 2015 Female Artist of the Year and the 2015 VAC "Benny Award" Female Vocalist of the Year, not to mention her most recent award nomination for Best Country Album at the 2016 New Zealand Country Music awards (NZCMA's).

There is no doubt, Jody is stepping the ladder to stardom as she continues to gain fans all over the world. With every song and every show, fans are left with an unforgettable, high energy, addictive experience. Jody's ability to connect with her followers all over the world through her music, stage presence and personality is a force to be reckoned with.